In 2017, the activist group Raising Awareness about the Bahamas Landfill (RABL) staged protests against what, at the time, were serious concerns about the state of the city dump on New Providence.
Today, the group, which uses social media to engage other interested Bahamians, is turning its focus on a new cause: protesting the Bahamas Petroleum Company’s (BPC) exploratory oil drilling, set to commence later this month.
The announcement was posted in RABL’s Facebook group this week.
News that BPC intends to drill its exploratory well this month came as a punch in the gut for some Bahamians who see the planned exercise as a massive risk for The Bahamas.
“It’s incredibly concerning,” said Heather Carey, an eco-activist with RABL, who advised of the planned protest.
“We’re doing this protest so that people can realize that they still have a voice.”
The protest will take place on Saturday, December 19 and is expected to run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The location of the protest will not be announced until the morning of, according to Carey.
Given ongoing health protocols in light of COVID-19, it will take on a new form.
“Cars will line the roads in a prime location with high visibility,” Carey said.
“People can sit on their cars or stand in front of them— which maintains social distancing— and hold their banner saying what they have to say.”
Carey said no part of the protest will violate COVID-19 regulations or any law, as all vehicles will be parked in the grass on either side of the road to avoid any traffic related issues.
The reason why the location of the protest will not be made public until the morning that it happens is for fear individuals might try to inhibit the event.
“This administration is very well aware of the power of the protest,” Carey said.
She noted that current members of Parliament, including Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis, who was in opposition at the time, joined previous protests staged by We March and RABL.
She said these experiences afforded MPs the opportunity to truly witness the power of the people.
“This time, they may decide they don’t want the voices to be heard,” Carey said.
“We don’t want to give [the government] the opportunity to quiet our voices.”
Carey said that since announcing plans for the protest on Wednesday afternoon, 50 to 100 people have already committed to participating.
“We’d love to have 1,000 cars,” she said.
Carey explained how BPC’s exploratory oil drilling is coming at a time when many Bahamians are already feeling powerless.
“Bahamians are feeling a little bit helpless and hopeless right now, especially because of COVID,” she said.
“I think with We March kind of coming to an end, people have felt like their voices aren’t being heard anymore.”
The We March organization, which was spearheaded by attorney Ranard Henfied, who today is a senator, staged several protests in the months before the last general election.
The largest one occurred in November 2016, during which hundreds of Bahamians from all walks of life participated, protesting a number of issues of critical national concern.
That came at a time when there was widespread disaffection with the Christie administration as was evidenced in the May 2017 election results.
“We had a lot of hope with this new administration, that they would be paying more attention to environmental issues and— other than the dump being reformed— there doesn’t seem to have been much interest at all,” Carey said.
Working alongside Carey in planning the protest is long-time eco-activist and president of reEarth, Sam Duncombe.
Duncombe said she has been protesting oil and gas in The Bahamas since 1994.
She explained how she has spoken out about BPC projects since the company was formed in 1996.
In her opinion, pursuing oil exploration in The Bahamas is not just a shot in the foot, but “we are literally shooting ourselves in the head”.
“This is the kind of insane project that never should have entered the conversation,” Duncombe said.
“The whole world is backing away from fossil fuels while we’re running head-on into it. Have we totally lost our minds?”
Duncombe said this is why she and Carey are organizing the protest.
Both women noted that, in May 2018, Minister of the Environment Romauld Ferreira stated that there would be no oil drilling under the Minnis administration.
Ferreira’s reported commitment that there would be no drilling is also contained in the filings by Waterkeeper Bahamas Ltd. and the Coalition to Protect Clifton Bay (Save The Bays), which took legal action this week against the government over the decision to authorize the exploratory drilling.
Those groups have described a lack of consultation prior to the decision to green light the drilling 90 miles off Andros.
Duncombe said those who care about the environment are tired of “the regressive projects that this government continues to embroil us in.”
Carey argued that this volatile issue seems to be taken to one extreme or the other: either we make money or we have an oil spill.
However, she explained that it’s really the middle ground that individuals should be concerned about.
Carey said even if there is not an oil spill, the contaminants that leak out in the process of exploratory drilling are enough to contaminate the environment.
“We don’t need this project here and we don’t want it here,” Duncombe said.
In regard to whether the protest will make a significant impact on the decision made by the government, Carey said: “It may not make an immediate difference, but I think that all of the efforts combined will make the government realize that we’re not going to stay silent on environmental issues”.
She added, “Elections are coming up and Bahamians are tired of being ignored.
“I think everything that we do makes a difference. Otherwise, I wouldn’t do it”.
The post Eco-activists plan to protest BPC’s exploratory oil drilling appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/eco-activists-plan-to-protest-bpcs-exploratory-oil-drilling/
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